Have a Happy Birthday Or Else
by Ryan Brooklyn
Summary: While trapped at Aunt Muriel’s, Angela Barry’s birthday arrives. What follows is a day of Weasley antics and unfortunately some heartache as well. A Fred/Angie/George fic.
1. The Birthday Girl

**A/N: I missed writing for Fred, George, and Angie, so here's a little something I thought up to remedy that. I realized I never wrote for Angela's birthday in Triumphant Gold so this is what happened on that day. I know I had put it as after the war in Triumphant Gold, but for all intents and purposes, it now occurs the day before Angela finds the warm Galleon in Ginny's purse.**

**Deviating from the usual POV of Angie's, I decided to do a three-way POV: the day as seen through all three characters. Hope you enjoy it. :-)**

**(If you have not read my Color Series, you most likely be very confused, just so you know.)**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything that has to do with Harry Potter. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own Angela Barry._

**Rating: **PG-ish I guess

**Genre: **Friendship/Humor/Romance/Angst

**Summary:** While trapped at Aunt Muriel's, Angela Barry's birthday arrives. What follows is a day of Weasley antics and unfortunately some heartache as well. A Fred/Angie/George fic.

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**Have a Happy Birthday . . . Or Else**

I awoke that morning feeling not at all like I had just turned nineteen. The sunlight was peeking through the curtains that covered the windows of Aunt Muriel's house. I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, figuring that since it was my birthday I could sleep in, but the blinding light would not let me. With a groan I sat up, blinking my eyes rapidly until the blurriness faded away. Stretching my arms forward, I glanced over to the spot on the bed next to me where Ginny usually slept. She was not there. Frowning slightly, I pushed back the covers and got up, getting changed quickly. It was a Saturday and it was rare on such days that Ginny got up before I did.

However as I ran a brush through my long, caramel-colored hair, I wondered if she was up in order to surprise me downstairs with something for my birthday. This thought excited me and I hurriedly left the room, heading downstairs, eager to find out what the Weasleys were going to give me. Everyone seemed to be in the kitchen so I walked over and entered with a bright smile, anticipating some sort of giant welcome.

My smile slipped at the scene I saw before me. Mrs. Weasley was hunched over a cup of tea; her red hair streaked with gray was falling from the messy bun on top of her head and her face appeared weary. Mr. Weasley was seated next to her, holding her hand and speaking quietly to her. I backed out of the room slowly, not wanting to interrupt. Turning away, I wondered if the twins and Ginny had planned to surprise me in a less obvious place. This made sense so I began wandering aimlessly about the house, checking random doors as I passed them.

When I found no one, I frowned, placing my hands on my hips. Suddenly the thought entered my head that maybe they had forgotten. My frown deepened. No, the Weasleys would not forget my birthday, would they? As I stood pondering, the twins barged in the front door, laughing and talking about something. They stopped when they saw me standing in the middle of the living room, hands-on-hips and frowning.

"Uh-oh," George said.

"What'd we do now?" Fred asked, his face falling into a look of deep mourning. I was sorely tempted to smile but was able to keep myself in check.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked pointedly, sighing at their rather blank expressions.

Ginny came into the house behind them. "Who forgot what?" she asked, shaking her blazing wind-swept hair off her face.

I stared at her incredulously. She stared back questioningly and then rolled her eyes in exasperation when I did not answer.

"_What_?" she asked impatiently.

I huffed in annoyance. "And you call yourselves my friends!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration. George blinked and a flicker of hurt crossed his face. He glanced helplessly at Fred who shrugged.

"We _are_ your friends, Angie," he said with a confused frown. I crossed my arms and scowled.

"_Words_!" I exclaimed.

Ginny flushed angrily, her bright red cheeks clashing with the red of her hair. "What in the world are you _talking_ about, Angela?" she demanded to know, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, what she said," added Fred, jerking a thumb over at his sister. George nodded emphatically and I could see they just weren't getting it. This frustrated me to no end. How could they have forgotten?

"Humph," I said, turning away to walk back up the stairs to the room me and Ginny shared. "Fine then, since you guys obviously have better things on your mind, I'll just go celebrate my _birthday_ by _myself_."

I hurried up the stairs and entered the room, shutting it firmly behind me and then throwing myself on the bed. I knew I was acting like a child and being very selfish, but I had really been excited to find out what the Weasleys had planned for me. Only they hadn't planned anything, which was a major disappointment for me. There was no one else to wish me a happy birthday, just them. I sighed and reached for my locket, missing Cedric once more.

A tentative knock sounded at my door. I sat up and brushed away my tears, thinking it must be one of the twins.

"Come in," I said. I was surprised when the door opened to reveal Ginny. She took in my expression and grimaced, shutting the door behind me.

Walking over to the bed, she sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she looked over at me. She did not say anything for a moment and I felt the weight of guilt settle over me.

"Sorry about that downstairs, Ginny," I said, cringing slightly. "It was rather immature, I know."

She snorted in dismissal at my words. "Don't worry about it," she said. "If my family had forgotten _my_ birthday, I would have thrown a bigger fit than that."

I allowed a small smile. "Thanks, Gin," I said gratefully.

"Anyway," Ginny continued. "Ignore my stupid brothers. Their brains obviously aren't working today." She suddenly looked sheepish. "Although I'm sorry for not catching on. I-I've had a lot on my mind lately."

I instantly thought of Harry and felt terrible for getting so upset at her for forgetting. I reached over and placed my hand on her foot, grimacing slightly at my own stupid brain.

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Ginny. It was very inconsiderate of me to worry about people forgetting my birthday when Harry, Hermione, and Ron are out there who knows where!" I shook my head at my idiocy. Ginny grinned suddenly.

"So none of our brains are working today; at least no one feels left out." She snickered, obviously enjoying this embarrassment of ours. I had to roll my eyes.

There was another knock on my door; I turned toward it. "Come in!" I shouted, even thought I'm sure whoever it was could have heard me without raising my voice.

A shock of bright red hair appeared first then was followed by Fred's somewhat sheepish face. He gestured rather frantically to Ginny.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, glancing at me and then pleadingly at his sister. Said sister rolled her eyes, which somehow was much more convincing than my rolling, and slid off the bed, following Fred out of the door. I pulled my legs up to my chest and waited.

I did not have to wait long. Only a few minutes later, Ginny was back looking flushed and irritated.

"_Idiots_," she muttered, giving the bed post a death glare that should have caused it to burst into flames. I looked at her warily.

"What?" I asked, lowering my legs and standing.

She seemed to snap out of whatever she was thinking of for she jumped slightly and looked over at me with a placid expression.

"What? Oh. . . . Nothing." Her hand slapped against her thigh in an agitated way. I looked on amused. I knew she was holding back something, but I wasn't about to drag it out of her. There was a moment of long silence before she broke with an abrupt "So!"

I glanced sidelong at her. "So . . .?"

"Let's play some Exploding Snap."

Before I could ask why, she had pulled out her wand and said "_Accio Exploding Snap!_" and the pack of cards came flying through the window, exploding the window pane with a rather loud snap. She winced.

"Oops."

I sighed and then shrugged, settling myself on the ground in front of Ginny as she did the same. She dealt the cards and we began to play; she promptly beat me three rounds in. I was just about to become bored with the game and ask her why she was keeping me here playing this, when there was another knock on the door. I stood swiftly and ran over to open it, grinning slightly when I saw who it was.

"Yes Fred? Did you want something?"

The redhead glanced over my shoulder to where Ginny was. I turned slightly to see her and she quickly hid her hands behind her back and grinned innocently. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to look up at Fred expectantly.

He bowed languorously and my lips twitched upwards slightly. "With your permission," he began in a voice full of pomposity. "I would like to escort the birthday girl to a marvelous picnic set up for a certain occasion outside." He held forth his hand and I heard a snigger behind me. Not turning to look at Ginny this time, I held my head high and placed my hand in his.

"You have my permission, kind sir," I said, making my voice sound imperious just like his. His face broke out into a bright grin and he tucked my hand around his arm as he led me down the stairs. I felt rather silly marching out of the house like the Queen of England, but I didn't want to ruin the fun.

I caught sight of George as we headed out and gave him a small wave. He waved back but I noticed he appeared somewhat despondent. Frowning slightly I turned to look up at Fred as he opened the door for me.

"What's wrong with George?" I asked curiously, wondering if it had anything to do with my temper-tantrum earlier.

"What? Oh he's just sore because I told him he couldn't join us," Fred said with an impish grin. I raised my eyebrows.

"Why—"

Fred cut me off by stopping and laying a hand on my shoulder, pointing over to a spot behind Aunt Muriel's house that was shaded by a couple trees. I could not keep a smile from spreading across my face at the sight.

A picnic blanket had been set out and there was a rather large meal prepared on it, a classic basket set off to the side. As we drew nearer I noticed a familiar looking book that had been placed next to the basket. Fred began to steer me toward the food, but I shrugged him off and went to pick up the book. I gasped when I looked at the title.

"_Pride and Prejudice_?" I exclaimed. "This is one of my most favorite books!" I looked at him over it. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Reaching over, he plucked it out of my hands and flipped through it, nodding to the food with a pointed look.

"Eat up," he told me. "And I will read aloud to you."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically even as I lowered myself onto the blanket. "You reading Jane Austen? I thought you were a Gryffindor." I smirked slightly as Fred gave me a playful glare.

"Stop ruining my attempt at a romantic birthday picnic," he scolded and both my eyebrows rose.

"Romantic?" I asked incredulously, wondering what he was getting at. Involuntarily my heart fluttered and I told it to stop immediately. Ever since Christmas these unwarranted feelings kept flying through my stomach and around my heart and I wanted it to stop. . . . Only I didn't want it to stop. Argh. I rubbed my left ring finger where there was still no band of engagement. By all appearances, I was still available. But Fred knew better. And I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew better. That last thought confused me so I stopped where I was.

"Romantic," Fred echoed firmly with a wink. He sat down beside me and continued rifling through the book, obviously looking for a place to start reading. I watched him warily even as I reached over to a strawberry tart and picked it up, biting into it and relishing the sudden burst of sweetness in my mouth.

Finally finding a page, he began reading, his jovial tone completely ruining the intensity of the scene which, I realized with a start, was my absolute favorite (the part where Lizzie tells Mr. Darcy when and why he started liking her). However my surprise soon gave way to amusement as Fred stumbled over the large words and butchered the scene to within an inch of its life.

At last I could stand it no longer. I burst out in a giggle, which turned into a laugh, which dissolved into a great guffaw that had me rolling over with laughter and caused Fred to halt his reading and peer over the top of the book at me with a frown of disapproval.

"I don't see what you're so hysterical about," he said with an indignant sniff. His eyes were twinkling merrily though, and he soon laughed himself and closed the book, handing it over to me.

"Yeah, I didn't understand a word they were saying anyway," he admitted with a shrug, laying himself out on the other side of the food and helping himself to several tarts. I grinned slightly over at him and he grinned back, his teeth faintly red from the tart he was still chewing. My smile widened at the sight.

I reached for a small cake and ate it slowly, relishing the taste. I wondered vaguely if Mrs. Weasley had made all the food. I looked over at Fred who was watching me.

"Thanks Fred," I said. "For all of this."

"You're welcome, Angie," Fred said, smiling again, although this time something had changed. The smile was tender and the eyes held some faint longing of some kind. My gaze faltered and I turned my face away, my heart hammering practically out of my chest. Why, oh, why did he have to be so sweet? This was ruining everything.

I felt his gaze on me and glanced at him surreptitiously. When he saw my face turned towards him, he leaned forward suddenly. I stiffened, wondering if he was going to kiss me. A part of me wanted him to, but another, a larger part, wanted him to stay away. His hand reached out for my face and I watched him warily. It stayed on my cheek just for a moment before pulling away, a dab of strawberry jam on its finger. I blushed sheepishly, feeling foolish for thinking he was going to kiss me.

"I would have kept it there for you to find later," Fred told me with a teasing grin. "But I doubted you would want to show up for your surprise party with jam on your face."

I started. "Surprise party?" I inquired curiously.

He grimaced. "Oh, I guess it's not much of a surprise now, is it?" I just looked at him. He shrugged. "When we're done out here, I'm supposed to take you inside where Mum and Dad and Ginny and them are waiting for us with a cake for you and some presents and stuff."

"So this was all just a distraction," I concluded, gesturing to the picnic.

He frowned, his freckled brow wrinkling slightly. "No," he said firmly. "This was my birthday present to you. I wanted to give you something extra special." He grinned hesitantly.

I smiled. "It is special," I said. "Thank you."

He simply grinned once more and then dove into the food. I laughed and followed his example. Once we were finished, he took out his wand and set things to picking themselves up and putting themselves away. Handing me my new book, he took my hand and walked me back toward the house. I could not help but compare his hands to Draco's as he did so.

Where Draco's hands were pale, slender, and sometimes clammy, Fred's was freckled, rough, and dry. They reminded me of Cedric's hands and of my father's. Where I'm sure Draco never worked with his hands at all his entire life, Fred probably worked harder than a lot of the kids at the school. The Weasleys were not a rich family. They sometimes had enough money to be almost labeled middle class, but only almost and not very often at all. They all had to work hard at the Burrow, and it showed.

Giving Fred's hand a gentle squeeze just before we entered Aunt Muriel's house, I was reminded how much I loved this family. Every Weasley I had met held a special place in my heart and I loathed the day I would have to leave them to live at the Malfoy's mansion. Compared to the warmth and love I felt at the Burrow, Draco's home, I knew, could only be dark, cold, and unfeeling. It was not a pleasant place to be looking forward to staying at.

As soon as we entered the kitchen, Fred and I were instantly covered in confetti and streamers as a magnificent shout of "Happy Birthday!" echoed throughout the house. I laughed delightedly as I had not been expecting the shower of sparkling paper or the enormous cake that now graced the middle of the table.

Glancing over at Mrs. Weasley I saw that, although the lines of wear and worry were still all over her face, she appeared much jollier and like herself. This gladdened my heart and I found I was able to enjoy the time more fully.

Ginny gave me a blazer she had knitted herself (proof of her obvious boredom here at Aunt Muriel's house), which was a dark green color that complimented my complexion marvelously. I thanked her heartily and was pleased to see a flush of color come into her cheeks that was not brought on by anger or frustration.

Mrs. Weasley gave me a rather lopsided and gaudy scarf that she made me. Its colors were burgundy and yellow, a combination which made everyone else in the room grimace. I, however, thanked her kindly, for I knew she had put a lot of effort into it.

Mr. Weasley gave me a Muggle's clock which he had been studying when they had to retreat into hiding. It did not work, and was rather rusty and old, but I knew it was one of his most prized possessions in this house and I told him I would treasure it always.

Aunt Muriel gave me more stockings. It seemed like the only thing she could find in her house to give us was stockings and more stockings. I assumed she had a bunch up in the attic from the days of her children's childhood, and, although I could have gone without, I thanked her for them.

George came forward almost hesitantly it seemed. He handed me a wrapped box that revealed a rather unusual looking Weasley Wizard Wheezes and grinned slightly.

"Specially made for you," he told me with a wink. Fred walked over to his brother and began punching his arm good-naturedly, trying to figure out which ones his twin had given me.

We had a large dinner, but I was only able to eat some of it, being rather full from the picnic, and cut the cake afterwards. When asked to make my wish and blow out the candles, I suddenly could not think of anything besides Harry, Hermione, and Ron. It seemed somewhat selfish to be here celebrating my birthday in great fun while they were out who knows where, doing who knows what, to conquer You-Know-Who.

I wished for their safe return and quickly blew out the candles before their flames began to grow bigger before my eyes and remind me of my father's death. Everyone clapped as the fire disappeared and then Mrs. Weasley cut the cake and we all had some. It was delicious, as I knew it would be.

Once everything was done, it was late in the afternoon and everyone began to wander off to do their own things. I carried my presents up to the room I shared with Ginny. Setting them on the old, roll-top desk, I admired them for a moment before picking up _Pride and Prejudice_ and heading downstairs to my favorite large armchair to read it.

Thus the hours went by. Once it started getting dark, I yawned and decided I should get to bed. The midday meal had been substantial enough that I was not hungry, and so I went up the stair to get ready, carrying my book with me. I was at the top and headed toward the room when George stopped me. His hands were clasped behind his back and his eyes flickered from the book in my hands to my face.

"You going to bed?" he asked, studying me closely for some reason.

I nodded. "I'm tired, and I'm not really hungry so you and Fred can have my portion of dinner." I grinned slightly and he gave me a quick smile in return.

"Well, goodnight," I said, moving forward to open the door to my and Ginny's room. I was just opening it when George spoke again.

"Angie?" he said, almost hesitantly it seemed. I turned to look at him expectantly.

"Yes?"

He hesitated further, and glanced away for a moment before sighing softly and turning back to give me a slight grin.

"Happy Birthday," he said finally.

I grinned back. "Thanks. Goodnight."

I went in and shut the door as he muttered a soft "'Night, Angie" that sounded somewhat mournful. I wondered at this for a moment, and then decided he must be disappointed that I was not going to stay up with them late like I had the previous night. That question answered, I got changed for bed and climbed into it, pulling the sheets up to my chin as I closed my eyes and smiled slightly, thinking the day had turned out alright after all.

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**Reviews make my day! Now, on to Fred's POV! :-D**


	2. The Elder Twin

**The Elder Twin**

I hadn't meant to forget Angie's birthday, I really didn't. But that morning when I woke up, it was to George's smelly foot in my face. The realization that he must have somehow shifted a hundred and eight degrees in his sleep did not come to me until I was fully awake, so at the moment I thought he was just being cheeky. Grabbing the foot, I threw it as hard as I could to the other side of the bed. The foot fell to the ground followed by the rest of my twin's body. I snickered as he hit the floor with a loud "Ow!"

This woke him up instantly and he immediately got out his wand and pointed it at me.

"_Aguamenti!_" he said with a gleam in his eye. I tried to get out of bed quick enough to dodge the jet of cold water that came from his wand, but my legs were tangled in my sheets and I got hit with the full blast.

George was laughing as he fled the room, still in his pajamas. Rolling my eyes, I got quickly changed before running after him. Tearing around the house shouting charms, jinxes, and spells at each other. Mum finally woke up and shouted at us, telling George to get dressed and then for both of us to play around outside.

Afraid of our mother's wrath, George did what she said meekly and I went to wait for him outside, twirling my wand with a load of self-confidence. When he returned a minute later, I did not wait for him to send a charm my way before I sent a jinx at him. He retaliated quickly, and I admired his skill not for the first time. We went at this for a while and apparently our shouts woke up Ginny for she joined us after a while, shifting sides so quickly we never knew which one she'd be on next.

After a couple hours of this we all grew hungry (a rigorous morning of casting spells and stuff as well as dodging them can do that to you), and so we trooped indoors. We were all laughing and breathless from our fun and so at first I did not notice Angie standing there looking rather peeved. George swallowed.

"Uh-oh," he said.

I tried to lighten the mood by pulling my face into a most ridiculous mournful look. "What'd we do now?" I asked miserably, hoping to create a smile.

I got none. Instead she just looked even more irritated. I thought I saw her lips twitch for a second, but that proved to be wishful thinking for her face grew stubbornly hard as it does when she's trying to make a point.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, sighing slightly as all she got were blank stares from us. I scrambled to think of what we had apparently forgotten. My brain was coming up with nothing. Ginny spoke up from behind us.

"Who forgot what?" she asked, speaking my mind. I glanced sidelong at George but he looked just as clueless as me. Angie looked incredulous (it made her look rather cute, actually). When she did not elaborate, I could almost hear Ginny's exasperated roll of eyes.

"_What_?" she asked impatiently.

Angie huffed in annoyance. "And you call yourselves my friends!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. George blinked and glanced helplessly at me. I shrugged, not seeing what she was getting at but feeling rather annoyed by the fact that she was suggesting we weren't her friends for some reason.

"We _are_ your friends, Angie," I said with a confused frown, trying hard to keep the irritation out of my voice. That she could even _think_ that we weren't was ludicrous. She crossed her arms and scowled. I blinked. She still looked cute (she always did, it was rather unfair really), but now scarily so.

"_Words_!" she cried, and I was surprised by her vehement tone.

"What in the world are you _talking_ about, Angela?" Ginny demanded. And I felt very akin to her at that moment. She had torn the words right out of my mouth.

"Yeah, what she said," I added, jerking my thumb over at my younger sister, who was resembling a rather red tomato at the moment. George nodded quickly, just as confused as the rest of us were. I continued to wrack my brain for the answer, feeling like Professor Umbridge had just given us a pop quiz.

"Humph," said Angie, turning and walking back to the stairs. I stared dumbfounded after her, wondering if she was going to torture us by never giving us the answer. But once she got at the foot of the stairs, she turned and glared at all of us, her normally sparkling light green eyes smoldering.

"Fine then," she said angrily and I could tell that she was trying to keep her temper. "Since you guys obviously have better things on your mind, I'll just go celebrate my _birthday_ by _myself_."

My jaw dropped to the floor. George gave a strangled yelp, and Ginny's eyes blazed as she gave a loud "HA!" She glared furiously at us.

"What?" I yelped, still stunned that I had forgotten Angie's birthday.

"Unbelievable," she said, shaking her head in disgust.

"You forgot too!" George pointed out rather childishly. However I nodded in agreement. She was in no position to pass judgment on us.

"I have a good excuse!" said Ginny, her brown eyes flashing very much like Mum's. It was rather unsettling.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "And what is that exactly?" I crossed my arms and frowned down at her.

Her mouth opened and then closed again, her eyes blazing angrily. Turning suddenly, she flounced out of the room and up the stairs like the spoiled princess she was. I rolled her eyes. It was only after she left when panic set in. I turned to George.

"Bloody hell!" I cried, adopting Ron's favorite curse. "It's Angie's birthday! How could we have forgotten something like that? We're blithering idiots!"

"Hey! Speak for yourself," George said, frowning.

"You saying you remembered?"

There was silence. When no one spoke my brain started thinking of what I could give Angie for her birthday. Regular Wizard Wheezes seemed too cheap. No, I wanted to do something really special. She deserved it. Angie had been through a lot of stuff the past few years, and she needed so much more than that ferret Malfoy could give her. With an inward sigh I often hoped she would realize that soon.

I wondered vaguely if Ginny would know what I could get her. However I knew I would need to get up there before George did, otherwise he was sure to try to one up me. Suddenly I saw a light go off in George's head and I knew he was thinking the exact same thing. We exchanged a glance . . . and then we were running as fast as we could toward the stairs, pushing and shoving and knocking one another down.

I reached the door first and knocked quickly before George could. He scowled at me from his place on the floor where I had left him. I heard Angie's voice calling me inside and I opened the door, poking my head in slowly. As soon as I saw Angie I immediately felt sheepish. I saw Ginny and gestured to her rather frantically.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, glancing at Angie and then giving Ginny my best pleading look. Gin rolled her eyes and slid off her place on Angie's bed, coming outside into the hallway. I shut the door behind her and then unleashed my predicament on her.

"Please Ginny; I need to know what to get Angie for her birthday."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're the lover boy," she scoffed. "Figure it out yourself."

George snickered but I scowled, not appreciating her humor at this time of dire need. "Ginny, please help me!" I begged, getting down on my knees dramatically and grasping her hands. She snorted and pulled away.

"Your theatrics won't work on me, Fred," she told me. "I'm your sister, remember? I'm immune to your charm." She smirked.

I rolled my eyes yet stood, feeling rather defeated. She flounced back into the room and I was left with George. I stared at the door mournfully for a while before he cleared his throat. A light went off in my head and I turned on him, grabbing his shoulder.

"George, my old, wisest, and best friend," I began magnanimously. He blinked at me. "Surely you must know what I should get for Angie."

George looked at me incredulously for a moment, before sighing. "Well she's a Ravenclaw, so she likes books."

I considered this. "Right. So I should get her a book." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"Her favorite is _Pride and Prejudice_," he offered after a moment with another almost silent sigh. I grinned and patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"You're on a good track here, Georgie. Keep going."

He frowned at his rather patronizing nickname but acquiesced without oral complaint.

"Her favorite part is where Mr. Darcy proposes to Lizzie and she's talking about why he likes her," my twin went on, a slight smile playing around his lips. Now I frowned . . . in confusion.

"Who?"

George gave me a look. I hastened to catch my slip-up.

"I mean, yeah. Darcy and Lizzie. Got it." I pursed my lips as I thought hard. This was all very good, but it needed something else. My stomach growled. Food! That was it! I would make her a picnic and then read to her. My eyes gleamed at the fabulous idea. Grabbing George's shoulder again I squeezed it lightly.

"An outdoor picnic, that's what I'll do. And I'll read to her out loud, so it'll be much more romantic. Help me get everything together," I told him. "Thanks little brother, this idea is fantastic!"

Punching his shoulder I took off down the stairs to ask Mum to make Angie some goodies. She seemed glad for something to do. Aunt Muriel complained about her rheumatism or something and went up to her room to pout at the lack of attention she was getting. I hovered over Mum's shoulder for a few minutes before she shooed me out of her kitchen with a loud racket. George looked amused.

"Now, about that book," I said, scratching my head as I thought. I gave a long-suffering sigh. "I suppose I'll have to go buy a copy." Wondering how I was going to get past the Protective Charm around the house, I did not notice George disappear before there was a loud _crack_ and he was in front of me again, holding a book out to me.

I blinked in surprise and took the book. Turning it over revealed the title written in gold embossed letters on the cover: _Pride and Prejudice._ I gaped at it a moment before looking up at George.

"When did you get this?" I demanded, frowning skeptically.

He shrugged and avoided my gaze, which was not like George at all. I grew suspicious.

"George?" I asked, demanding an explanation.

"It's a good book," he said, shifting slightly on his feet.

"It's a _girl_ book."

He shrugged again. Ashamed of my brother's reading habits, I gave him a despairing look and then made my escape out the back door where I set everything up for the picnic. Once everything was looking picture perfect and romantic, I ran upstairs and ran a comb through my hair, trying my best to look presentable. This _was_ Angie after all. My heart gave an uncharacteristic flutter at the thought of spending a romantic afternoon with her outside. At least, I hoped it would be romantic.

I walked over to her room and knocked firmly. The door was opened shortly afterwards and I was greeted with a relieved Angie. She grinned slightly when she saw me and my confidence shot up ten decibels.

"Yes Fred? Did you want something?"

I glanced at Ginny and she gave me a look, gesturing for me to hurry up and say what I wanted to say. Angie glanced at her and she quickly placed her hands behind her back with an angelic look. I resisted the urge to snort a laugh at the ridiculous notion that Ginny could be in any way angelic. When Angie turned to me once more, I gave her a grandiloquent bow.

"With your permission," I began in as impressive a voice as I could muster. "I would like to escort the birthday girl to a marvelous picnic set up for a certain occasion outside." I held out my hand to her and tried to ignore Ginny's snicker. Yeah, angelic was not a word I would use to describe her.

Angie placed her hand in mine and I immediately felt a tingling sensation fly up my arm. "You have my permission, kind sir," she said, playing along. I grinned brightly and tucked her hand around my arm as I led her downstairs as though she was the Queen of England herself. George was standing near the door and for some reason he did not look very happy. I wondered if he was sore because I was not including him in on the picnic.

"What's wrong with George?" Angie asked curiously, and for some reason I felt somewhat annoyed that she seemed concerned for him when I was the one giving her a surprise.

"What? Oh he's just sore because I told him he couldn't join us," I said, giving her an impish grin so she would know not to worry. She raised her eyebrows and I knew another question was coming that I most likely would not want to answer.

"Why—"

I cut her off by stopping and placing my hand on her shoulder, pointing over it to the spot where I had set up the picnic. I could not see her face from where I stood, so I walked to her side and glanced over at her. I was pleased to see a smile spreading across her beautiful face. She caught sight of the book almost instantly as I led her too the blanket I had spread out and she snatched it up off the ground immediately.

"_Pride and Prejudice_?" she exclaimed. "This is one of my most favorite books!" She looked at me over the object and I could tell I was grinning obnoxiously wide for my face was starting to hurt. I reached over and took the book from her, flipping through the pages while I tried to find the part that George had talked about. When I noticed she had not started eating, I looked over at the food with a pointed look.

"Eat up," I told her. "And I will read aloud to you."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically even as she lowered herself down onto the blanket. "You reading Jane Austen? I thought you were a Gryffindor." She smirked and I gave her a playful glare.

"Stop ruining my attempt at a romantic birthday picnic," I scolded her, before realizing I had just given away the fact that I wanted to be romantic. It took all my will power not to blush. I hated blushing. It was so . . . unmanly.

"Romantic?" she asked incredulously and my heart sank just a tad at her tone. She was completely ruining the mood and I hastened to remedy it.

"Romantic," I repeated firmly, sitting down next to her and continuing to look through the book. Angie watched me warily as she ate one of the strawberry tarts. The smell made my stomach growl, but I concentrated on finding that elusive scene in the bloody book.

Finally I found the part George had told me about and I started reading. I don't think I got the attitude quite right because after a while she started laughing. I lowered the book slightly and frowned at her.

"I don't see what you're so hysterical about," I said with an indignant sniff. I could not help but laugh with her though, after a moment. Her laugh was contagious.

"Yeah, I didn't understand a word they were saying anyway," I said, shrugging and setting the book aside before spreading myself out next to the food and eating several tarts myself. She grinned slightly and I grinned back, my teeth stained red I was sure once I saw her smile widen. She reached for a small cake and ate it slowly. I watched her.

I had not noticed before, but when she tilted her head that way her neck looked very delicate and smooth. Argh, why did she have to be so bloody cute? She looked over at me and my hands started to get sweaty, although I had to resist a smile. She had some jam on her cheek.

"Thanks Fred," she said. "For all of this."

I smiled tenderly. "You're welcome, Angie." My guard had fallen and it must have shown for her gaze faltered and she looked away. I frowned slightly in disappointment but continued to watch her. The pulse on her neck was beating out and in a rather hard and fast manner, although her breathing remained the same. I wanted to lean forward and press my mouth to that pulsating spot, but I knew I couldn't. Not until _she_ was ready. However I did lean forward in order to wipe off the jam with my finger. For some reason she blushed slightly and that surprised me. I wiped my finger off on the blanket.

"I would have kept it there for you to find later," I told her with a teasing grin. "But I doubted you would want to show up for your surprise party with jam on your face."

She started. "Surprise party?" she asked curiously. I grimaced. I wasn't supposed to say anything about that. Oh well.

"Oh, I guess it's not much of a surprise now, is it?" I said indifferently. She just looked at me. I shrugged. "When we're done out here, I'm supposed to take you inside where Mum and Dad and Ginny and them are waiting for us with a cake for you and some presents and stuff."

"So this was all just a distraction," she said flatly, gesturing to the picnic.

I frowned deeply. "No," I said firmly. "This was my birthday present to you. I wanted to give you something extra special." I grinned hesitantly.

Thankfully she smiled, easing my worry that she would be offended for some reason (girls got offended over the daftest things). "It is special," she said. "Thank you."

I grinned again and then went for the rest of the food. I knew Mum would scold me for ruining my appetite (and Angie's for that matter), but a picnic without food was pointless. Once we finished, I took out my wand and set things to cleaning themselves up, and handed the book to Angie. I took her hand and helped her up and walked her back toward the house, keeping a firm hold of her. Thankfully she did not pull away.

I was surprised to feel her slender hand give mine a light squeeze just before we entered the house. I grinned inwardly and tightened my grip. As soon as we entered the kitchen, we were showered with confetti and streamers as everyone shouted a hefty "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl. I was not surprised in the least to see that Mum had gone all out with the birthday cake. It was her biggest one yet.

Thus followed the presents and Angie exclaimed delightedly over every one. (Even Dad's old Muggle clock that didn't even run. What's up with that Dad? Seriously. Sheesh.) Muriel gave her stockings (of course). George came forward after the old biddy and I wondered what he had thought up to give her during our absence. It turned out it was just some Wizard Wheezes, but he said they were specially made. Instantly began badgering him, asking him what he had made. He did not answer me. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was not able to punctuate my interrogation with torture for Mum brought the cake out.

After cake (it was delicious of course) we all kinda went to do our own things. Angie went to read, and I dragged George upstairs to interrogate him further.

"Come on, you can tell your own twin," I said, resorting to begging at this point, since George's will was suddenly like a solid, red brick wall.

He pinched his lips in a straight line. "You had your 'special time' without me. Now I want to give her something special without _you_." He said.

"Awww, but that's not fair!" I said, frowning piteously in a look that George had never been able to resist before now. However he suddenly seemed to gain immunity against it and he remained tight-lipped (pun intended unsympathetically).

"Fine then," I said, scowling. "Keep your bloody secrets. You know you'll tell me eventually." I punched him irritably. It was hard to keep a secret from your twin for any long period of time. His lips twitched slightly and I knew he was breaking.

"Yes, George?" I grinned. "You wanted to tell me something?"

He frowned suddenly and sighed in exasperation. Giving me a solid punch in the shoulder, he walked out of the room. I rubbed the sore spot and wondered when George had gotten so touchy. Rolling my eyes, I drew out my wand and tapped it on my chin, contemplating new Wheezes and thinking that the day had gone very well.

* * *

**Reviews give me the warm fuzzies. Next up, George's POV! :-D  
**


	3. The Younger Twin

**The Younger Twin**

Forgetting Angie's birthday was one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I would say _the_ biggest mistake, but _that_ was when I assumed Ginny wasn't capable of handling magic as well as her older brothers. I had Bogeys chasing me for days. Ugh. The memory _still_ makes me shudder in disgust. No, forgetting wasn't the biggest mistake, but it came close second. If I had remembered, I would have been able to give Angie the best birthday present ever and she would have known then how much I felt for her.

But no, I forgot and Fred ended up with the perfect gift. _My_ perfect gift. Here's what happened.

I was rather rudely awakened by Fred shoving me off the bed. Of course the only way to retaliate was to whip out my wand and give him a good dunking. I escaped immediate retribution by running out of the room. Cowardly, but I knew I would need to choose our fighting ground if I had any hope to win. Unfortunately Mum caught us and threw us outside before too long.

It was really no matter for we just kept at it until we grew hungry. Ginny had joined us throughout the morning and I was once more glad I had learned from my biggest mistake ever. We were laughing and breathless but my breath left me completely when we entered Aunt Muriel's house and there was Angie, looking rather put out. I swallowed, knowing we were in trouble for something.

"Uh-oh," I said, taking a small step back.

Fred tried to lighten the mood by pulling a rather horrifying mournful look. I had to keep myself from cracking up into inappropriate laughter. "What'd we do now?" he asked miserably.

Angie's face darkened and I gulped again. She could be rather scary sometimes, no matter how much I liked her. Although her ears were starting to grow pink and that was always amusing.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" was her reply, sighing slightly as all she got for her irritation was blank stares. I scrambled to think of what I could have possibly forgotten that would make her so angry. Unfortunately my brain was rather slow on the uptake and I came up with nothing.

"Who forgot what?" Ginny asked, startling me since I didn't hear her come up behind us. Fred glanced over at me as if waiting for me to provide him with the necessary information. I could only look clueless back at him. Angie looked rather incredulous. When she did not expound, Ginny spoke up again.

"_What_?" she asked impatiently and I could almost see her exasperated eye-roll, her cheeks flushed with annoyance, and her hair looking like a wild mane around her face.

Angie huffed and I could not help but notice how cute she looked when she did it. I almost expected her to stomp her foot, but she refrained from that. "And you call yourselves my friends!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. I blinked and glanced helplessly at Fred, growing rather anxious at this perpetual confusion. I could feel the tense atmosphere and squirmed uncomfortably.

"We _are_ your friends, Angie," Fred said, and his earnestness made a familiar knot appear in my stomach. Angie was pretty smart as a Ravenclaw, but she was absolutely clueless when it came to boys. How in the world did she not realize Fred's feelings for her? It was so obvious! Even now, with Fred's tone slightly laced in irritation, there was love in that statement.

Angie crossed her arms and scowled. "_Words_!" she cried, and I flinched. The last time Angie was this upset, was back at the Burrow before Bill's wedding. And that confrontation had resulted in Fred getting a face-full of Angie's palm. I cringed inwardly at the memory.

"What in the world are you _talking_ about, Angela?" Ginny demanded and I glanced at her noting how red her face looked and how it clashed with her fiery hair. I wondered if all us Weasleys looked like that when we were angry/upset/frustrated. It was rather unnerving to think so. Tearing my thoughts away from that, I returned to the moment at hand, wondering if Ginny's words would get Angie to actually tell us what was wrong.

"Yeah, what she said," Fred said, jerking his thumb over at our younger sister. I nodded in agreement to both of them. My head hurt from everything my eyes and ears were observing and were trying to put together like a puzzle to form a logical conclusion. So far they weren't doing very well. I was no Ravenclaw.

"Humph," said Angie, turning and walking back to the stairs. I watched her go, wondering if she was going to give us the silent treatment until we figured it out. I wondered what in the world would be that important. She turned back to us once she got to the foot of the stairs.

"Fine then," she said angrily, and I could see her anger boiling just under the surface. "Since you guys obviously have better things on your mind, I'll just go celebrate my _birthday_ by _myself_."

She stomped away and I gave a strangled yelp. Her _birthday_?! I thought that was on Thursday! I recalculated the days in my mind and realized with a jolt that today _was _Thursday. I groaned and ran my hand over my face. I felt Ginny's glare before I looked up and saw it.

"What?" Fred cried, looking stunned.

"Unbelievable," she said, shaking her head in disgust.

"You forgot too!" I pointed out, rather childishly too. It was mostly a cover up of the horrible stupidity I felt. No _wonder_ Angie had been so upset. I felt like a complete _idiot_. How could I have forgotten one of my most favorite people in the world's birthday?

However after a moment I relaxed, realizing that I wasn't a _complete_ idiot. Whereas I was _sure_ Fred had forgotten a present as well, I had been prepared for her birthday. I had nothing to scramble for. I sighed inwardly in relief. I was jolted back to reality when Ginny flounced out of the room in a huff. I blinked, confused since I had missed that exchange between my siblings. Fred turned to me, his eyes wide with panic.

"Bloody hell!" he cried. "It's Angie's birthday! How could we have forgotten something like that? We're blithering idiots!"

"Hey! Speak for yourself," I said, frowning.

"You saying you remembered?"

That accusation caused me to shut my mouth firmly. He was right. I had no bragging rights at the moment. Well, besides actually having a present for her. However I knew I would need to get to her before Fred did, otherwise he was sure to think up something fantastic to give her and blow my simple plan out of the water. I looked at the stairs and then suddenly glanced at Fred. A light had gone off in his head and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. We looked at each other for a moment, and then suddenly we were both running as fast as we could toward the stairs, struggling to be the first one at the top.

He tripped me just as I reached the top stair and I fell sprawled on the floor as he leaped over me and knocked on the door. I scowled at him and got up slowly, brushing myself off. Somehow he got Ginny to come out and he immediately begged her to tell him what to get Angie for her birthday.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're the lover boy," she scoffed. "Figure it out yourself."

I snickered, Fred scowled, and Ginny looked indifferent to it all. Fred got down on his knees and pleaded with her to come around, but it did no work in the slightest. She pranced back into Angie's room and he stared at the door mournfully for a moment, before he suddenly whirled on me and grabbed my shoulder.

"George, my old, wisest, and best friend," he began generously. I blinked, wondering what he wanted. "Surely you must know what I should get for Angie."

I looked at him incredulously, unable to believe this was happening to me. I sighed however, knowing he would win in the end. He always did and I really did not have the heart to keep him from the one thing that he wanted so badly. I had to help him. It was my duty as the younger twin.

"Well she's a Ravenclaw, so she likes books."

He appeared to consider this, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Right. So I should get her a book."

There was a long pause and I knew he was waiting for me to provide him with the title of the perfect book to get her. Sighing inwardly, I gave in to my way too soft heart and relinquished the title of the book I had bought for Angie for this very day.

"Her favorite is _Pride and Prejudice_," I offered. He grinned and patted my shoulder encouraging me to go on.

"You're on a good track here, Georgie. Keep going."

I scowled at his patronizing tone and wished I didn't care about him as much as I did. But I _did_ care a lot for him, and Angie; and I knew it was best for both of them if Fred was the one to have her. Of course she might stick with Malfoy in the end (although I don't see how she _could_), but I certainly would not be the one to break his heart.

"Her favorite part is where Mr. Darcy proposes to Lizzie, and she's talking about why he likes her," I went on to say, and then smiled slightly as the memory of how I had come to that knowledge played in my mind.

I had been surreptitiously watching Angie while she read, and she had suddenly laughed out loud, startling me. When I asked what was so funny, she pointed to the tattered copy of Jane Austen's classic in her lap and explained to me what was going on.

"It's my absolute favorite part," she had said with a grin.

Back in the present, Fred frowned in confusion.

"Who?"

Leave it to Fred to not recognize the names of two of the most famous literary figures in classic reading. I gave him a pointed look. He covered a small wince.

"I mean, yeah. Darcy and Lizzie. Got it." He pursed his lips as he thought hard. I watched him and hoped he would not choose the outside picnic I had been planning for months. However it seemed like the only logical conclusion. I knew he would never settle for just handing her a book with a hearty "Happy Birthday!" No, there had to be something more to it. Grabbing my shoulder again, Fred squeezed it lightly.

"An outdoor picnic, that's what I'll do. And I'll read to her out loud, so it'll be much more romantic. Help me get everything together," he told me. "Thanks little brother, this idea is fantastic!"

I gaped at him as he ran down to ask Mum to make the food. I followed him dumbly, cursing the strange "twin telepathy" thing we had sometimes. My birthday present was officially ruined. It did lighten my mood somewhat to see him shoved out of the kitchen for pestering Mum while she cooked. Fred turned to me again once that mess was over with.

"Now about that book," he said, scratching his head in thought. He gave a long-suffering sigh. Knowing he would most likely endanger us all by getting past the Protective Charm in order to buy her the bloody book, I Disapparated to our room where I retrieved the hardbound book from underneath the mattress and Apparated back in front of Fred. He blinked in surprise and took the book, turning the blue book over to reveal the gold embossed letters on the front cover. He gaped at it a moment before looking up at me.

"When did you get this?" he demanded, frowning skeptically. I shrugged and looked away, not wanting to tell him that I had bought it in order to give it to Angie in the exact same way he was planning to.

"George?" he said firmly, waiting for me to explain myself.

"It's a good book," I said, shifting slightly on my feet and avoiding his gaze. I was also ashamed to admit that I had actually read the book, wanting to know what the fuss was about. I could see why Angie liked it. The main female character reminded me a lot of her. That's probably why I actually read the whole thing.

"It's a _girl_ book," Fred continued, looking somewhat disgusted at my reading habits. I shrugged again, unwilling to get into a debate about it. He gave me a despairing look before he went back into the kitchen to get the food and then out the back door to set everything up. With a sigh, I retired to my own room (well, the one I shared with Fred). I had only just collapsed on the bed however, when a sharp rapping on the wall told me that Aunt Muriel wanted something.

Dragging myself off the comfortable comforter, I walked into the next room where Aunt Muriel was standing, scowling at me as she lowered her cane from the side of the wall which she had banged.

"What's all the commotion?" she demanded to know. "I'm trying to get some sleep. I am one hundred and seven years old, boy, and don't you forget it!"

I rolled my eyes. "You never let me," I muttered, earning a rap against the shins for my "impertinence." "Was there something you wanted Aunt Muriel?" I asked, once her spiel about the "irresponsibility of young people today will lead to the death of all self-respecting wizards" was over.

"What?" she snapped, and then seemed to remember. "Oh yes, tell everyone to keep quiet. I'm trying to sleep."

Refraining from telling her she was being redundant, I nodded. "Yes, Aunt Muriel," I said with a long-suffering sigh. She gave me a glare and then pointed at the door, indicating that it was my time to leave. I did so quickly. By this time Fred and Angie were already outside. I could see their spot from the window in our room, and I slammed my forehead against the pane as I watched them.

After a few minutes I felt a slender arm slide around mine. I glanced down and saw a fiery red head resting against my upper arm. I smile slightly and reached over to pat her arm.

"I'm fine," I said, trying to convince myself at the same time. Ginny snorted.

"Yeah right," she said. "I could feel your wistful vibes from the other side of the door."

I shrugged, looking down at Fred and Angie and wishing I was the one lying beside her, reading her favorite story just for her. Ginny pinched my arm lightly. I jumped and looked down at her. She had pulled away and was now frowning at me, her arms crossed.

"You're really a wimp sometimes, George Weasley," she stated flatly.

I frowned. "Gee, thanks Gin. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner somewhere over my hurt feelings." I rolled my eyes.

My arm began stinging as she slapped her hand against it. "You _know_ you've liked her longer than Fred has. Why don't you just _tell_ her?"

"I _can't_," I insisted through gritted teeth, turning away from the window and her in order to shut the door. No need for Aunt Muriel to complain about our raised voices once the argument escalated like I knew it would.

"Why _not_?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips, her brown eyes flashing. She looked so much like Mum it was almost comical.

"_Because_," I growled, not expecting her to understand. She had always been on my side in this stupid love triangle thing, but being on my side came with many pokes, prods, and exasperated speeches.

"Well _that's_ the lamest excuse on the face of the planet," she retorted, her cheeks glowing red.

"Well I'm _sorry_, okay?" I said, turning on her and crossing my arms obstinately. "I'm _sorry_ you think I'm such a wimp. I'm sorry that I care more for Fred and Angie's happiness than my own." I rolled my eyes.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at me and I couldn't help smiling slightly at the ridiculous childish behavior.

"No one is _that_ selfless," she informed me with her lofty opinion. I shrugged.

"You don't have to understand my reasons," I said. "But I've lived with Fred for too long to break his heart by wooing the girl that he's liked for several years now."

"Pshaw, there are other girl's out there," Ginny said, waving her hand in the air dismissively in a way that I thought was rather insensitive.

"Not everyone has enough beings of the opposite sex drooling all over them to pick and choose who they want to snog with," I snapped. "Unlike _you_, Fred isn't the kind of guy to test-drive every potential date that comes along until he finds the right one."

Ginny's cheeks flushed red and she gave a great screech of rage at my words, stomping her foot and Disapparating. I only felt bad about my words after she left. Running a hand through my hair, I exited the room in order to look for her. She was the only one on my side in this and I didn't want to lose her too.

I assumed she had Apparated into her room and I was right. When I opened the door there she was, glaring out the window. I stepped in hesitantly and cleared my throat. She did not turn around.

"Don't you know how to knock?" she asked shortly. I smiled slightly and walked up to stand next to her. I rapped my knuckles lightly against her head.

"Knock, knock," I said apologetically. Her lips twitched and I draped my arm over her shoulder. "Angie's one of a kind, Gin," I said after a moment. "I'm not going to take her from Fred. They need each other."

"What if she needs you more?"

I was quiet for a moment, wondering what I could give her that Fred could not. I could not think of anything and so I did not answer. With a sigh, she pulled away and rolled her eyes.

"You'd better get busy making her a different present or else Fred _will_ win her over with this little 'gift' of his." She gestured out the window and I saw my twin lying on the picnic blanket rather close to Angie. My throat closed up and I turned away.

"Right," I said, scrambling to think of something I could make her that would trump a favorite book and picnic. Ginny looked amused at my fierce concentration and shoved me toward the door. I left hurriedly. Making my way back to my room, I picked up my wand and tapped it absently against my chin as I thought. Fred was always the one to make up most of the Wheezes we made together. He had the brains, I just followed his directions. Then I realized something.

We had this Wheezes spell that changed a wand into something ridiculous through contact. What if I could make something Transfigure into several different things each time she touched it? I could make it Transfigure into things that were valuable to her. A stuffed unicorn, a Hufflepuff scarf (yes, Ginny had made her one already, but it's always good to have a spare), a picture of Cedric, a picture of us Weasleys, a piece of jewelry, a book, etc. It could be a rather useful present. I would do it.

I had to perfect the spell however. In order for it not to change simply when she set it down and lifted it up again. She would have to leave it alone for . . . six hours before it would change again. That should give her plenty of time, I thought. After a moment of thinking this over, I realized I would need help. I gritted my teeth slightly; I wanted this to be from me and only me. But then I could mess something up and that wouldn't do at all. With a sigh I stood and went looking for Ginny.

000000000

With Ginny's help the spell took only about an hour to perfect. I wrapped it nicely using magic and promised Ginny an island to rule for her help. She rolled her eyes at this but she grinned at me and I knew I was forgiven for my words earlier.

Trooping downstairs, we just made it in time to surprise Angie with the cake and wand conjured confetti and streamers. She was grinning her face off, and she and Fred were holding hands. I tried not to let that bother me. Ginny went forward and gave Angie her gift and then one by one we all gave her our gifts. When it was my turn, I grinned slightly and handed over my gift.

"Specially made for you," I told her with a wink, feeling rather proud of the individuality of my gift. Fred hurried over to me and started punching my arm lightly, begging me to tell him what the Wheezes was. I remained tight lipped however, and simply smirked at his interrogation.

After cake and the guest dispersed, Fred grabbed my sleeve and dragged me up the stairs, tossing me into our room and shutting the door behind him.

"Come on, you can tell your own twin," he begged, but I refused to budge, tightening my lips and not giving him an inch.

"You had your 'special time' without me. Now I want to give her something special without _you_." For being my twin, he sure did not catch up on my emotions very quickly. It sometimes surprised me how Fred continued to not guess that I was in love with the same girl he was. But then, he had never been really attentive to things like feelings.

"Awww, but that's not fair!" he said, resorting to childish behavior, hoping that would help me crack. He used a look that usually won me over in a heartbeat, but this time it was different. This time I wanted to keep a secret from him, knowing it was better for him not to know.

"Fine then," he said, scowling. "Keep your bloody secrets. You know you'll tell me eventually." He punched me irritably. I knew he was right; it _was_ hard to keep secrets from him, no matter how important they were. I started to say something, but stopped, knowing it really was for the best.

"Yes, George?" he said, grinning hopefully. "You wanted to tell me something?"

I frowned abruptly and sighed in exasperation. He didn't know when to let up. I gave him a solid punch in the shoulder as retaliation for the other punches he had given me and walked out of the room, leaving my twin baffled behind me. I went outside and walked around the house for a little while, clearing my thoughts and wondering if I should tell Angie that Fred's "romantic picnic" and "wonderful gift" was really all my idea.

My eyes gleamed at the prospect. I was rather irritated at Fred's insistence that I tell him ever single thought that passed through my brain and I thought this was an excellent way to get back at him. Mean, but Fred always got away with being mean. Well, most of the time anyway.

Ignoring the voice that told me it was wrong and a bad idea after all the work I had put into today trying to make sure Fred and Angie had their moment, I walked back into the house. I went upstairs and stopped by her door. Lifting my hand to knock, I stopped when I noticed that she was coming up the stairs. I stepped back and waited for her.

She looked surprised to see me and I noticed she had her new book in her hands.

"You going to bed?" I asked, studying her closely, trying to figure out if there was anything different. I had not watched them the entire time, so I didn't know how it had ended.

She nodded. "I'm tired, and I'm not really hungry so you and Fred can have my portion of dinner." I gave her a quick smile of thanks and she grinned slightly back. "Well, goodnight." She moved to open her door and I suddenly spoke up, knowing it was now or never and my nerves were beginning to fail me.

"Angie?" I said hesitantly. She turned and looked up at me expectantly. Bloody hell, did she have to be so beautiful?

"Yes?"

Her voice brought me back and I looked at her. Really looked at her. I knew why Fred had fallen for her. I had fallen for her for the same reasons. Her spirit, her fire, her compassion, her laughter, her smiles, they were all unique and came together to form _her_. I remembered my plan to thwart the romance of Fred's "brilliant idea" but now found that I couldn't. Looking at her, I know she needed more than me. She deserved someone stronger. And that someone was Fred. Fred could take care of her better than I could, and he needed her. I looked away, sighing softly before turning back and giving her a small grin.

"Happy Birthday," I said finally.

She grinned. "Thanks. Goodnight."

She went in and shut the door as I muttered "'Night, Angie" somewhat mournfully. She would never be mine. She couldn't be. She was all Fred's and there was no way I was going to steal her from him. I made my way back to the room I shared with my twin and opened the door to see Fred sitting on the bed, putting together a rather complicated looking Wheezes spell. I sat down next to him and watched for a little while before getting out my wand.

"You're welcome, by the way," I said, breaking the silence. He looked up at me, startled.

"For what?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and gave him a pointed look. Then he slowly grinned. "Oh yeah. Thanks bro. I had a blast." He pounded on my back with a hand before gesturing to the thing in front of him. "I'm putting together new Wheezes for our shop. What do you think?"

I looked over it skeptically. "What does it do?"

His grin widened. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

**Yes, this is a rather abrupt way to end this, I know, but that seemed somehow fitting. Please review, it really does make my day and I love to get feedback. It also inspires me to write! Anyway, this was designed to be a oneshot, but as you can see it ended up a little bigger than that. :-P I really hope you enjoyed reading this ficlet as much as I did writing it. :-D "See you in another life, eh brothah?"  
**


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